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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29325336">Beware</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebonyfae/pseuds/ebonyfae'>ebonyfae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Beware [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Romance, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gang Violence, Growing Up, Past Child Abuse, Slow Build, i people like this lol, i put my heart and soul into this ngl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:34:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29325336</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebonyfae/pseuds/ebonyfae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>How did Tora come into what he is now? Where did everything make a shift?</p>
<p>Tora takes a dive back into his past, and how being under Vincent Balthuman’s care changes what his relationships look like in his eyes, and how growing up is the last thing he could ever do.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tora/Poppy Wilkes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Beware [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2154045</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Beware</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It seems like people like a vulnerable Tora as a plot line so I wanna make some chapters based on it! The story will go back and forth in time, so this is just one part of what I have to offer so far, I just started Chapter 2! I’ll add more tags where I see fit. Enjoy, please 💕</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>My life ain't so bad. </p><p>For an adolescent gang member. </p><p> </p><p>When I was younger, it would be a lot easier. Mr. Balthuman would place a gun in my pudgy hands and tell me to hit a bullseye and take Quince and I out for ice cream. I would always get on his good side. He really liked my ass.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you a punk? Seriously?” Mr Balthuman spat at me. </p><p> </p><p>I grinded my teeth against the plastic stick from my lollipop. I rolled my eyes, bitterly feeling the pressure from the large bruise on my face pinch my skin. I didn’t feel bad. </p><p> </p><p>The guy was five foot eleven, what did he expect.</p><p> </p><p>“Daddy! Daddy, Tora didn’t know what to do! The bully was HUGE!”Quincey squealed in fear. He tugged frantically on Mr. Balthuman’s suit pants, his eyes pleading with his. I appreciated his rebuttal; I guess. Balthuman playfully brushed Quinceton off and sent him off to his room. He looked back down at me and laughed. </p><p> </p><p>“Tora, it’s your lucky day kid. For once I won’t lock your ass up today, so I guess I must teach you a promising lesson.”Mr. Balthuman replied. He picked me up by my frayed collar, as my legs buckled from off the ground.</p><p> </p><p>I wiggled in his grasp, hoping to free my neck from his fingers. I thought at least this time I was done for.</p><p> </p><p>“You bring this bully by for a chat, if it’s as serious as Quincey allegedly says.” His hoarse whisper lingered in my ear as my skin goosebumps near his breath. He let me go and dropped me back on the floor, and turned around and headed to his office. I scratched my neck as I picked myself off the ground. </p><p> </p><p>____</p><p> </p><p>He followed me all around campus.</p><p> </p><p>Every fuckin’ where.</p><p> </p><p>I wanted to just go “home.” I’d never actually proudly admit it was mine, but it’s all I had now.</p><p> </p><p>“Tora! Just call Dad!”Quincey yelled at me. I sneered and shooed him off. He did make a good point to call him, but the overwhelming guilt was eating me alive that I couldn’t do it all by myself. I was 15 for fucks sake. I could handle this myself.</p><p> </p><p>His ass finally came up to me face to face. We were far off campus, and I knew he wanted it this way. I couldn’t quite say I was ready for it, but I had no choice but to finish the whole situation. I rather Mr. Balthuman finds out I can’t fight at all than me running like a little boy.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey pussy, you finally had the guts to look me in the eyes, eh?” He grunted, glaring down at me. </p><p> </p><p>“Dude, fuck off. Seriously.” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh? And he speaks too. What a surprise.”his voice was much deeper than mine, and his breath reeked of alcohol. He wanted to entice me any way he could.</p><p> </p><p>He was just like Mr. Balthuman in some ways.</p><p> </p><p>“I can fight, you know. You better back off.”I half-lied. I tried my best to assert myself, but I could hear my heart pounding in my ears by now.</p><p> </p><p>“Really then? Then try me.”He now grasped my hair by the front, making sure to read how serious I really was.</p><p> </p><p>I dug ferociously in my pocket and fished out my dagger, switching it out of its handle. I pointed the exposed edge at his neck, tears welling up in my eyes. I felt my frail arm going weak, praying he would finally leave me alone. His face went blank, almost pale, and he started trembling backwards. I thought I finally got him.</p><p> </p><p>“Oi! Tooooora, Daddy’s here, like he promised! LOOK!”Quinceton ran behind me and my head whipped around. </p><p> </p><p>My hands went so limp my dagger fell to the grass.</p><p> </p><p>Two fellow members ran up and packed all three of us into the truck, forcing Quincey and I into the back seat. The bully got the trunk. My heart was beating out of my chest. I looked out the tinted window as my dagger was left punctured in the grass, fleeting behind us as the truck was now taking off.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, welcome home boys!” Mr. Balthuman clapped his hands together pleasingly. His often-condescending smile for once since authentic and genuinely surprised. Quincey was jumping up and down with his fathers shared pleasure. “I assume our guest is here now?” he continued.</p><p> </p><p>The fellow members nodded behind Quince, another member and I got him from out the back room. </p><p>I watched him struggle from under the pillowcase that disguised his face. Frantic yelling softly escaped from under his covers, pleading from the grasp of the members.</p><p> </p><p>“He does seem like a nuisance, my apologies kiddo.” Balthuman says to me. His face never turns to me, yet I now his euphoria is keeping his face in the view of the bully. “Let’s get started shall we?”</p><p> </p><p>Balthuman pulled me forward and held my arm. The two other members throw “Bully” to the concrete floor of the basement. A slight bone-cracking sound comes from his body as he fusses around on the floor in his restraints. Mr. Balthuman took his shoe and softly pressed it on top of his wounded head.</p><p> </p><p>“Here’s the key to a good fight kiddo. You have to strike fear in ya’ victim. No fear, no fight! I think we have fear covered…”Mr. Balthuman says. He pressed his shoe harder into the neck of “Bully” as a soft gasp escaped his mouth. “You afraid, boy?” Balthuman lowers his mouth to his ear, as my bully whimpers some more. He nods a yes.</p><p> </p><p>“Good. Second step is to imagine your opponent is someone you truly despise. It really helps you release your full energy.”He continues. He pulls me in front of “Bully” and makes me stare at the fumbling body tussling on the floor. “Imagine…”</p><p> </p><p>I know who I hated...him</p><p> </p><p>I hated Balthuman.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t his right to take me.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t his right to lock me up.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t his right to kick me while I was asleep and make me memorize his words in the middle of the night.</p><p> </p><p>He was my ultimate opponent. </p><p> </p><p>I didn’t need to imagine.</p><p> </p><p>My fists clenched and retracted my foot back and kicked it forward into “Bully’s” ribs. A low bellowing scream came from under the pillowcase, causing him to squirm more. I gave three more solid blows as his screams became louder and louder.</p><p> </p><p>Mr. Balthuman grinned and exclaimed. “Good job kiddo! You’re really a natural.”He scruffs up my hair and pats me on the back proudly.“Now, pull the pillowcase off. The third, most critical step is to make them feel it.”he continued. </p><p> </p><p>I gripped and tripped off his head covering and saw congealed blood oozing from the sides from his nostrils. His teeth were splattered red, and his eyes were pleading mercy through his tears. </p><p> </p><p>“Dude please...T-tora..I’m sorry...”His voice weakly exclaimed. His eyes jittered back and forth and tears kept forming and falling over and over.</p><p> </p><p>I took a sharp punch into his jaw as blood splattered onto my chin. My face made a painfully unconscious smirk as wail came from out of his body.</p><p> </p><p>“YOU SEE HOW IT FEELS?” I yelled into his ear. I sent another punch into his eyes, then watching the blood flow swell up under it. His cries became more and more painfully hard to hear. I could feel my own eyes well up with burning tears, and felt my nose start to leak.</p><p> </p><p>‘HEY BOY!” Mr. Balthuman grabbed the back off my head and came ear level to me. “YOU BETTER NOT BE CRYIN’!” </p><p> </p><p>My ears started to ring, as stressed rose back up in my body and I sent another deep blow into the side of his head. All I had to do was please him, and sadly this was the only way I knew I could. </p><p> </p><p>My next hits I wanted to make last.</p><p> </p><p>I wanted to badly believe this kid was Mr. Balthuman.</p><p> </p><p>Every hit was his body. Every cry was his own.</p><p> </p><p>Even when the blood splattered on my favorite shirt, the worth of my pleasure mattered more. I was happy for once in a long time. It felt like the old days of training. It felt like when…</p><p> </p><p>It felt like when I was free.</p><p> </p><p>The body now lay limply on his floor. I pressed myself to his chest, still hearing his heart beating under his layers of clothes. I nodded to the other members, as they took his flimsy body upstairs. Balthuman patted me on my shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“You did good, kiddo. You did good. Fuck it—let's go out for treats like the good ol’ days, yea?”he happily bellows. Quincy re-enters at the talk of dessert, running in with Mr. Balthuman’s keys. A snicker escaped from his mouth. He turns back to me.</p><p> </p><p>“You know what son? Since ya done so well, I’ll finally let you dye your hair just like ya asked. My present to you for your birthday comin’ up.” he exclaimed. My heart almost grew, the little bit of happiness I was told to hide inside peaked out at his words. Quinceton took my gaunt hand and followed Mr. Balthuman to the door, finally letting me relive the innocent memories we all once shared.</p><p> </p><p>We kinda felt like a family like I always hoped we did.</p>
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